The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-09-02
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Power OF the Gospel Shown by
Overwhelming Proof.
Faith the Christians InvincibIe weapon
in the COnhict-AIere Argument as
Nothing Before the TestimO-
NY Of Witnesses.


Rev. z. Dewitt Talmage's fifth sermon at
"The Eamptons," the discourse being
founded on the following text:
We are witnesses.-Acts iii., IS
In the days OF George Stephenson, the |
perfecter Of the locomotive engine, the |
scientists proved conclusively that rail- /
way train could never be driven by steam /
power successfully and without peril; but |
the rushing express trains from Liverpool |
TO Edinburg, and from Bdinburg TO Lon
don, have made all the nation witnesses Of
the splendid achievement Mechinists
and navigators proved conclusively that
steamer could never cross the Atlantic
ocean; but no sooner had they successfully
proved the impessibility of such an under
taking than the work was done, and the
passengers on the Cunard, and the Inman,
and the National, and the White Star lines
are witnesses. There went up guhaw
Of wise laughter at Prof. Morse's
proposition to make the lightning of
Heaven his errand boy, and it was proved
conclusively that the thing could never be
donei but now all the news OF the wide
world, put in your hands every morning
and night, has made all nations witnesses.
So in the time of Christ it was proved
eonclusively that it was impossible for
him to rise from the dead. 1t was shown
logically that when a man was dead he
was dead, and the heart and
the liver and the lungs having ceased to
perform their offices, the limbs would be
rigid beyond all power of friction or
arousal They showed it to be an abso-
Lutte absurdity that the dead Christ should
get up alive; but no sooner had they
proved this than the dead Christ arose,
and the disciples beheld him, and they
took the Witness stand to prove that to be
true which the -wiseacres of the day had
proved to be impossible; the record of the
experiment and Of the testimony is in the
text:
Him hath God raised from the dead, whereof
we are witnesses.
Now, let me play the skeptic for a mo-
nent.
''There Is no God" says the skeptic, 'for
have never seen him with my physical
syesight. Your Bible is a pack Of contra
dictions. There never was a miracle.
Lazarus was not raised from the dead,
and the water was never turned into
wine. Your religion is an imposition on
the credulity of the ages"
There is an aged man moving in that
pew as though he would like to respond.
Here are hundreds of people with faces a
little flushed at these announcements, and
all through this house there is sup
pressed feeling which would like to speak
out in behalf Of the truth of our glorious
Christianity, as in the days Of the text,
crying out:
we are witnesses.
The fact is, that II this world is ever
brought TO God It will not be through ar
gument, but through testimony. You
might cover the whole earth with apollo
gies for Christianity and learned treatises
in defense Of religion-you would
not convert soul. Lectures
on the harmony between science
and religion are beautiful mental discip-
line, but have never saved a soul, and
never will save soul. Put a man of the
world and man of the church against
each other, and the man of the world will
in all probability get the triumph. There
are a thousand things in our religion that
seems illogical to the world, and always
will seem illogical.
Our weapon in this conflict is faith, not
logic; faith, not metaphysics; faith, not
profundity; faith, not scholastic explora-
ton. But, then, in order to have faith, we
must have testimony, and If 500 men, or
1000 men, or 100000 men, or 100000 men
get up and tell me that they have felt the
religion Of Jesus Christ joy, a comfort, a
help, an inspiration, I am bound fair
minded man to accept their testimony. I
want Just now to put before you three
propositions, the truth Of which think
this audience will attest with overwhelm-
ing unanimity.
The first proposition is: We are wit
nesses that the religion of Christ is able to
convert a soul.
The Gospel may have had hard time to
conquer us, we may have fought it back
but we were vanquished. You gay CON
version Is only an imaginary thing. We
know better.
We are witnesses.
There never was so great change in
our heart and life on any other subject as
on this. People laughed at the mission
aries in Madagascar because they preached
ten years without one convert; but there
are thirty-three thousand converts in Mad
agascar to-day.
People laughed at DR.. Judson, the Bap.
fist missionary, because he kept on preach
ing in Burmah FIVE years without single
convert; but there are twenty thousand
Baptists in Burmah to-day. People
laughed mt DR.. Morrison, in China, fol
preaching there seven years without
single conversion; but there are fifteeI
thousand Christians in China to-day. Peo
pie laughed at the missionaries for preach
ing at Tahiti for fifteen years without
single conversion, and at the missiOnarie
for preaching in Bengal seventeen year
without a single conversion; yet in al
those lands there are multitudes of Chris
tians to-day.
But why go so far TO find evidences o
the Gospels power to save a soulg
We are witnesses.
We were so proud that no man coul,
have humbled us; we were so hard that n
earthly power could have melted US
angels Of God were all around about us
they could not overcome us; but one day
perhaps at a Methodist anxious-seat, or a
a Presbyterian catechetical lecture, or a
a burial or on horseback, a power seize
us, and made us get down, and made u
tremble, and made US kneel and made u
cry for mercy; and we tried to wrenc
ourselves away from the grasp, but W
could not. 1t flung us fiat, and when W
arose we were as much changed a
C7ourgis, the heather, who went into
prayer-meeting with a dagger and a CUR
TO disturb the meeting and destroy il, bu
the next day was found crying:
1Ohl my great sins! OIL my grea
Saviour :" and for eleven years he preRche
the Gospel of Christ to his fellOw-moun
taineers, the last words on his dying Lip
being.
"'Free graceW
Oh, Il was free grace!
There is a man who was for ten years
hard drinker. The dreadful appetite ha
sent down its roots around the palate an
the tongue, and on down until they wer
interlinked with the vitals Of body, min
and soul; but he has not taken any stimV
lants for two years. What did thatg Nc
temperance societies. Not prohibitio
laws. Not moral suasion. Conversion di
IL.
'Why," said one upon whom the gres
change had come, 'sir, I feel just 8
though I were somebody else"
There is a sea captain who swore all tn
way from New York to Havana and froI
Havana to San Francisco, and when h
was in port he was worse than when h
was on the sea. What power was it tina
washed his tongue clean Of profanities an
made him psalm-singerg Conversion b.